Lyndon Ashton, manager of Niagara College’s Canadian Food & Wine Institute (CFWI) Innovation Centre, has been elected to the Tech-Access Canada Board of Directors in a recent by-election to fill an Ontario director position.
Tech-Access Canada is a national, not-for-profit network, which links 60 Technology Access Centres (TACs) housed at colleges or cégeps and funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). TACs are specialized R&D centres that provide businesses – particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – with applied research and innovation services to produce new prototypes, scale-up manufacturing and solve unique business challenges.
“We’re excited to welcome Lyndon to the Board of Directors at this great time of growth for the network. His multidisciplinary skills and professional experience will be strong assets as Tech-Access Canada implements its multi-year Strategic Plan,” said Ken Doyle, executive director, Tech-Access Canada. “Being elected by his peers shows a strong vote of confidence in his abilities to advance the network’s mandate, and foster deeper collaborations among peer Centres.”
Niagara College provides access to equipment, facilities and expertise at its two TACS: the Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (WAMIC) at the Welland Campus, and the CFWI Innovation Centre at the Daniel J. Patterson campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
“The 60 Technology Access Centres across Canada represent leading minds in applied research and innovation enablement, delivered directly to industry through partnership with our college sector.”
~ Lyndon Ashton, manager, CFWI Innovation Centre
Companies that work with the TACs retain all the intellectual property (IP) and receive assistance de-risking the financial investment required by accessing government funding programs for applied research projects.
“I’m truly honoured to be elected by my peers into this important position with Tech-Access Canada. The 60 Technology Access Centres across Canada represent leading minds in applied research and innovation enablement, delivered directly to industry through partnership with our college sector,” said Ashton. “My job is to listen to their needs and work with my colleagues on the Board of Directors and Executive of Tech-Access Canada to ensure we continue to provide supportive programs, guidance, and leadership – all with the aim of further advancing our industry’s effectiveness at commercializing new products and services and increasing our collective competitiveness on a domestic and global stage.”
In his role at the CFWI Innovation Centre, Ashton is responsible for the overall operations and strategic leadership, including the successful development and implementation of food and beverage innovation services. He joined the Research & Innovation division in 2017 after a diversified career, beginning in the culinary arts and eventually leading to economic development, management consulting and business planning. He earned his Culinary Red Seal, and he holds a combined degree in Political Sciences and Labour Studies from Brock University and a certificate in Economic Development from the University of Waterloo.
To learn more about the CFWI Innovation Centre and the full suite of services to support industry innovation and commercialization of new products and processes, visit the website.
